BarleyMax & Carrot juice... explained. :)

I have been on the Hallelujah Diet for one week now!

You can read the above link to get a better understanding of what it is I'm doing. I guess I should stop right here and say that I'm not doing this alone. :) My good friend Jillian Anderson is also on this journey with me! It is a bible based, raw, whole, ALIVE, fresh veggies and fruits and nuts and grains kind of deal! Exciting huh? You will be even more surprised when you get to the bottom of this post and see how much I lost in the first week. :)

The first day I had a headache all day... most likely from not having my morning coffee and afternoon soda(s). But overall, the day was good. I felt good about my food choices and I had better mental energy when I wasn't thinking about how bad my head hurt. :)

Second day was rough. My body was trying to fight one last time before it was taken over. I gagged on everything! :)

From then on out I was feeling good! Every once in a while I throw a tiny pity party over foods I choose not to have. But I've made it through two Thanksgiving meals so far... each time I only the salad and cooked veggies that I brought for myself. Talk about Holy Spirit living inside of ya??! I'm thankful for that for sure.

My body feels stronger. One thing I have noticed is that my body needs more rest. :) Or maybe that's parenting my two children.... anyway I've been going to bed early almost every night!

Ok so here it is. This week I lost 5 lbs. My goal is to lose 49 more. Tim and I have a deal that for every pound I lose we will save $5 and at the end of my goal I can take all of the saved money and go on a shopping spree!!! I am soooo looking forward to that. Jillian and I are already planning a girls weekend where the shopping is good!

So far I'm 5 pounds down and $25 in the good. :)

Thanksgiving dinner! Veggie style! :)

I am putting together a list of items that I may try for our Thanksgiving feast this year. Eating healthy doesn't mean giving things up... it's about making right choices. Choices that benefit your body and not your cravings. :)

Vegetarian Stuffing

Easy and Decadent No-Knead Wheat Bread!

I love Spaghetti squash, so that will be a on the menu for sure. I will have to find a vegan parm that I can put on the top.. I <3 Parmesan "cheese"

Sweet Potatoes with Apples and Walnuts

Thanksgiving Meat Loaf this might be a good alternative to turkey. I may have to make a tiny turkey on the side for the hubs. :)

Brandi's Famous Caramel Apple Pie! Can't forget dessert!

Easy Peanut Butter Pie this would be interesting... tofu in a pie?? :)

Chocolate Peanutbutter Pie these two would have to fight over which one of them i would make. :)

Brag time :)

I haven't blogged in a while! I just wrote and saved a blog that I will publish on Sunday afternoon that explains why we are not in Wilmington right now. Haha! The suspense is killing you I'm sure! :)

But... in the mean time can I just tell you how blessed I am??! This is such a fun season of life for our little family. Anna is growing so fast and is such a blessing. She is beautiful and happy and full of joy. Even in the morning when she hasn't eaten for 5 hours she wakes up smiling and grinning from ear to ear. I'm still waiting for her to roll over. I've been giving her more floor time these days because Madison is really good with her. I trust Madison around her more and know she won't hurt her. So now that she's getting more floor time she should start scooting around a little bit! :) Can't wait! When she's not on the floor cooing and flailing her arms... she's a mama's girl!! She loves her mama! She has started laughing and is super ticklish around her neck. :) I love getting those laughs out of her. She is still sleeping awesome at night with just the last few nights exception. :) She has her 4 month well check on Wednesday of next week. Boo for shots. Yay for healthy babies though!

Madison is in to "pretty nails" these days! She is the cutest 2 year old ever! I painted her toe nails a few weeks ago and she insists on having them painted now. :) Any time someone new comes into the house she holds up her foot and says, "look, pretty nails." So cute. Another favorite phrase is, "I love you mommy. I love you sooo much!" Yes! She says this to us! I love it. It amazes me how she picks up on and uses certain words and phrases in the correct context. Like when someone is trying to do something and they finish, Maddy says, "Good job mommy" or "Good job Grandma." She also says, "Great idea" when we mentioned doing something she wants to do! I don't know where she gets this stuff honestly, but it's great!

I fell back into the vicious cycle of food the past couple of days. But after an honest text conversation with a good friend I'm being gracious to myself and starting again. It's a journey, that's for sure. But I need to be healthy both physically and spiritually. I need to crave God. I want to crave Him. I want more out of life than the usual... I want pure joy in Christ and complete reliance on God. I want my life to reflect Christ's in every way. I want to be his vessel.

Father, use me in ways I never imagined. Make me uncomfortable where I'm at and move me in the direction that will glorify you! Show me those people who need you and give me words and actions to show your love.

Floor time is over for Anna... that means time to shut the computer. :) Stay tuned for Sunday. :)

It's official...

We are staying in Jacksonville! I am actually really excited about this! Tim and I have always said that we feel a strong calling to Jacksonville. There is so much ministry to be done in this city. With our families alone there is ministry. With our church there is ministry.

Speaking of our church and ministry... :) When we were planning on moving to Wilmington, Al asked us what would make us stay in Jacksonville. We were like nothing, we are moving. Little did we know that Al must have been talking to the Lord about this already! Well Tim thought about it and he really needed another work option because he was maxed out with hours at Coastal and couldn't bring home enough doing just that. He said well I would love to do ministry with our church. There is a need, so I will just put together a proposal and see what they say.

So that's what we did. We made a proposal to Rock Creek and what'd you know? They accepted it. Tim will start on as the Outreach Coordinator starting this Sunday. :) This is going to be such a blessing because Tim is so passionate about ministry in all aspects of life, but especially in a healthy church environment! Of course this all came together super fast and we believe it did because it's what God has in store for us.

So we are here. In Jacksonville. Doing ministry with a church that is the church. Excited about the things God is doing at Rock Creek.

more than just a fork in the road...

Unless it's literally a fork with like 4 or 5 prongs...

This refers to the many options that the Williams' family has right now. Some aren't really even options at the moment. I won't go into it right now, because there isn't enough clarity. We are definitely praying about all this stuff for sure.

For now though it looks like we will be staying in Jacksonville. Tim was already lined up to teach at Coastal for the Summer and was just going to commute from Wilmington. But since his Summer and Fall classes are full and there is a wait list... our plans for Wilmington are temporarily stunted.

There a job possibility in Wilmington at a later date. We will see.

Tim is taking the Summer off from school and will just focus on work and ministry. He is super excited about this because after a semester of trying to do classes, work, and ministry... he is quite pooped. With good reason, his Calc 2 class was supposedly the hardest of the pre-req's for his degree. But he's gonna come out with at least an A in the class! He worked super hard. I'm very proud of him!!!

So I'm kind of thankful for the set back that vacation gave me. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't lose any weight. Refer to blog post below. But this week I have been super dedicated and am experiencing some amazing stuff. I no longer feel like this is a sacrifice... but my LIFE instead. This is who I am! I was made for more than the vicious cycle that I was on. And... I LOVE it! I will post results tomorrow for this week. :)

Starburst Jelly Beans

I've had them pretty much every Easter I can remember. They are so incredibly tasty.

This year I didn't even remember that I wanted them. I passed the Easter aisle in Wal-Mart... even when it was all 75% off (mouth hanging open).

I know I can barely believe it myself. Vacation was not so good for me though. I started out doing great. Then little by little I let things look appealing. Everyone else was having some. I let my portions get out of control. Thus, I lost no weight.

But this week I am back on track. :) I am looking forward to weigh in because I can tell that my clothes are feeling bigger and my rings are too! :)

That's pretty much all for now. I finished reading Made to Crave. If you decide to read it... you have to push through the first chapter. I'm telling you... it's so intimidating that you will put it down. But picking it back up will be one of the best decisions you have ever made! Trust me!

Love you all!

a week or so later...

I'm 6 pounds closer to my goal weight!

Feeling super motivated to keep at my healthy lifestyle.

One thing I have noticed... I am super cranky when I'm hungry and eating less than my body is used to leaves me hungry sometimes. :) So, I'm sorry to those have had to live with me when I'm cranky. :)

replacing lies, embracing truth

"Food was never meant to fulfill the deepest places of our hearts reserved for God alone. Not on the good days. Not on the bad days. And not even on the stinkin', rotten, horrible no good days. God says, "See I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut" (Rev 3:8). May it be that we walk through that door, head north, and never look back."

This paragraph was taken from Made to Crave. I am gonna quote some more from this book also because I really took a lot from today's reading. :)

This is week 1 of the rest of my life. I made it. The whole week without one sweet thing, one soda, and mostly no preservative foods! This is a huge accomplishment for me. I've learned that food being fulfilling is a lie. God gave us healthy foods so that we could make his temple Holy and healthy. I don't need junk food to fulfill any part of me.

Another thing I have taken from this book is that I tie food to the wrong things. Get ready for an exert... that I am sure most of you will find yourself nodding to.

"There were too many experiences I enjoyed primarily because of the food that was attached to them. The movies were tied to popcorn. A birthday party was tied to cake. A ballgame was tied to a hotdog. School parties were tied to cookies. A morning meeting was tied to gourmet coffee. Getting gas was tied to snack crackers and a soda. Watching TV was tied to chips. A summer outing was tied to ice cream. A winter outing was tied to hot chocolate."

She goes on to say that tying food (or anything else) to happiness sets us up for failure. As I read that paragraph above I nodded my head to every one of them. Every single one of them. When I talked to Tim about doing this healthy eating thing... I was sad because when I went to parties I would miss out on cake, when I went to the movies I would miss out on popcorn, and when I went to the Roadhouse I would miss out on rolls. How sad is that? My happiness seems completely tied to food. It's no wonder I have always had issues with my weight. I am finding my happiness in the wrong places. I have to learn to attach my happy to the only eternal stability there is and remain.

"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:9-12)"

These verses teach us to remain in God's love so that we won't tie our happy to anything but God. So that our joy will be complete.

"Complete. As in not lacking anything. Complete. As in filled up to the brink with joy no matter is we are wearing our skinny jeans or not. Complete. As in satisfied with a fullness we can't get any other way. Can you imagine how beautiful it would be to live as a complete person?"

This is how I made it 1 whole week. I learned to remain. To be complete.

Happy Birthday Madison

This year I think the greatest gift I am giving Madison is the gift of health. Let me explain... I have been itching to blog for the past few days. :)

I am on day 6 of eating NOTHING but healthy non preservative food choices. I could not have done this without the Holy Spirits divine power and strength. In an earlier blog I told you about the book called Made to Crave. Well I can honestly say that I am more focused now on being closer to God and craving more of Him and along that process He has helped me with my food. I mean seriously... I made it through a birthday party with yummy cupcakes and dips and everything. I actually had to make those yummy cupcakes. :) The hardest part was washing the icing and cake batter off of my finger instead of licking it!! haha. I'm so serious. You don't believe me. Yes, I'm being that strict. Yes, I think it's necessary. I'm not going to go without birthday cake my whole life. But for now, I am. When I am disciplined enough to have one or two bites and walk away and not want more, then I will think about it. I also want to see some progress in my body before I start letting sweets back in. But, this is pretty much a life style change for me. I don't need those things to satisfy me and I never will.

I haven't weighed in yet, but I know about where I started. I am eventually going to add in more exercise. But I am pleased with my changes thus far. This is more will power than I have ever had before. I'm giving myself a year to lose the whole amount of weight that I think will make me healthier.

I am so thankful for the body God gave me. I want to use it to bring glory to his Kingdom forever. I want to be healthy.

So to my Maddy on her birthday. I want to be a model mother in every aspect. In faith. In health. In self-control. In confidence. In love of myself, my husband, my family, God, and strangers.

I want you see all of these things in me, that way you will see Jesus. You are so special to me sweetie. I want to give you the best gift of all this year. So we will continue to pray and I will continue to do my best to be the healthiest mom I can be. I love you Madison. Sooooo much. :)

a rainy Tuesday.

Sitting here this morning listening to rain pound against the windows. It's so relaxing. I was in bed listening to it, but the it was so loud I knew if I went back to sleep I wouldn't be able to hear the kiddos when they woke up. So I came out and poured my coffee. :) Now I'll do a little blogging. :)

I finished reading the Bible all the way through last night. Believe or not, this was actually my first time doing this. I started the summer I met Tim which was 2007. The challenge with reading it this time is to sit down with a notebook (the same one every time) and write something while reading. I have this notebook from when I read through the new testament. It's awesome. There are like arrows everywhere and it talks about who came from who and where they went and such and such. :) Again, it's awesome. So I hope to do that again.

Have I mentioned that my kids are still sleeping. It's 8:22. That is even more awesome. :)

I'm really starting to more anxious about packing. I loathe packing. I don't even mind unpacking because it's like a fresh clean slate. But packing... it's the pits. I can't wait til we are "settled." Which won't be until Tim is done with school. However, I am so grateful for the path that God has us on right now. We are pretty much going to be dirt poor while in school... but I am totally ok with that! It's fun being poor. You are forced to eat at home with your family around the table... and that's fun! You learn to be content with everything you have. I have an extra appreciation for everything that I own. I hope my attitude about money always stays like this.

I usually always talk about my kid in my blog posts. I love my children. It's sometimes weird to say children. Like plural. It has gotten so much easier to have two of them. Madison is like the sweetest little girl ever. I wish I still had a point and shoot camera that had a video camera on it. I would post videos for you guys to see. It got stolen when our house was broken into on Jean circle. :( Sad day. But Madison just talks sooo much these days! She is just hilarious. This is my absolute favorite age so far. She has gotten better with her sister too. Her favorite things to do with Anna are; having her lay in her big girl bed with her, holding in her passy for her, and "rock her sleep." I can already tell they are going to be great friends.

I'm reading a book that my friend let me borrow. It's called Made to Crave. I promise I am going to to pick it back up today. I read the first chapter of it as soon as she dropped it off. It is a very intimidating book because it pretty much calls you into action. You can't read this book and not do something about your lifestyle. What is it that I crave and who is it that I should be craving? Obvious answer for the second one. I never saw myself as one to crave food. But after reading this book I realized that was a lie. So now I am dealing with filtering my cravings into the Word, prayer, and just being with Jesus. This sounds beautiful, but is not easy. So I could use some prayers. Thanks! Enough about that.

The girls are up. Madison woke at 9:10. She's now sitting in her high chair having jelly toast and milk. Anna is having some awake time in her cradle.

Back to the part where I loathe packing. If there is anyone out there who loves packing and wants to help... this is the official all call. :) Thanks!

Signing off.
Bobbie

stay tuned

Stay tuned because this weekend I am going to be turning our kitchen table from drab into fab using some techniques from www.allthingsthrifty.com. Check out her yellow furniture section... that's what my kitchen table is going to look like. :) I'm so excited. Yellow table. Black chairs. A little glazing. And some fabulous new cushions. It's going to look super fun in our apartment! :)

Leaving... but not for a few more years

*Sigh*

Karen Kingsbury is such an amazing author. I <3 all of her work. I own all of them too, so if you eve want to borrow a book, I'd be happy to loan them out. :) Ok so her newest book just came out. It's called Leaving. It is the first book in a series about Bailey Flanigan. Bailey is one of the characters that you meet in Karen's earlier series. This is one of the things I love most about Karen. She keeps the story of her characters going on forever! You know how you read a book, and if you're like me, at the end of it you're like.... nooooo! Most of the time it ends there and you never hear anything else about the person's life. I know it seems kind of silly, but that's just how I read! I <3 to read and I realllly get into it.

I'm going to try not to spoil this new book, but I had to blog on it. The reason: because this book was the first one that I connected with on a personal level. Every other book has just been a really great book. Although they all have a great story of redemption in them and Lord knows I've been redeemed! :) But, like I said I connected with this one.

I hope it doesn't seem too silly (because I can't blame the tears on pregnancy this time). The book is about Bailey leaving home. The mom, Jenny, does a lot of remembering about when Bailey was little. This family, the Flanigans, are such a Godly family. There is joy in every relationship. They have 2 boys adopted from Haiti and 3 biological children. All of them LOVE Jesus and LOVE others. It's a beautiful model of family.

But as I read I began thinking about my two girls. Madison is just growing by leaps and bounds every day. I heard over and over in the book "cherish these moments, they go fast." I've heard this in real life too. My Madison is just the sweetest 2 year old ever. I am glad I didn't let that term "terrible twos" take over my thinking of this age. She learns something new everyday. I love the way she asks for "hugs-kisses." I love the way her hair curls a little in the back. I love how she treats her baby sister with such tenderness. Even though she says it over and over and over, "what you doing mommy?" She is just so sweet. I love her so much.

So as you can imagine, this book got me thinking about when Madison no longer lives with me. When she no longer needs me for everything. When she doesn't come up to me anymore asking to brush my hair or to snuggle. It makes you cherish them even more.

God gives the perfect gift in a child. We are so blessed to be able to raise Madison and Anna up in the Lord. I just pray we do a good job of it!

So.... check out Karen Kingsbury! She's awesome!

they are so worth it...

but oh sleep how i miss you.

last night was rough. i thought anna had done a decent job of having good awake time during the day. i had done my best from 8 until 10 to keep her awake. so when 10 rolled around i thought for sure she'd eat good and go right to sleep. sike. i heard her cry out about 15 minutes after laying her down... of course i had decided to go to bed early and had just hit that "knocked out" zone. so i went in and tried rocking her to sleep. she wasn't having and wouldn't keep her passy in. so i sat with her on the over-sized comfy chair in her and she fell asleep on me. well at 2 in the morning after i knew she was asleep, i laid her down. 15 minutes later i heard her again. well it went on and on until at 5 in the morning i brought her to our bed. i am usually not a co-sleeper, but lately "what works... works." so she fell asleep with us and i got, oh about 3 hours of sleep last night. i have NO idea what was wrong with her. maybe an upset stomach. we are still trying to get rid of some thrush she got when i was on antibiotics. so maybe it's the medicine. idk.

on a happier note. :) madison is so cute these days. she talks sooo much! for instance, she just told me, "watch super why humpty 'ducky' fall of the wall." HAHA! there is a new season of super why on netflix and i found it yesterday. she loves super why!

yesterday i braided her hair and it was so cute i did it again today. :)

we are still potty training. it's going ok. we've had a couple accidents recently. i'm kind of in limbo because she's using the potty more, but now i have to put her in panties and pants. she has more accidents when she has these on. and i'm not sure what to do about going out in town. so any advice would be helpful. :)

i bought a breast pump today. it should be here next week. i'm looking forward to having a few date nights with my husband. it is much needed. i also want anna to get used to other people comforting her and providing for her. it's super cute (most of the time) but she is definitely a mama's girl. she has to have mama rock her. she has to have mama talk to her to get her to smile. :) it's not that bad, but i'd like for her to be comfortable with her grandma too! that way grandma can watch her... wink wink. ;) we will probably have to split the kids up though. gosh, it was easy asking family to watch one of my children, but to ask them to watch both... seems a bit much. :)

tim is still doing really well in his calc 2 class. so far on his tests he's got a 99, 100, and at least a 92 on this last one. which was the hardest portion of the class. i'm really proud of him. he also got his official acceptance to UNCW to start summer classes and continue on with the Grad program in the Fall. he also was accepted to NC State to take an online summer course. things are starting to fall into place. he's put in one scholarship application and we are anxious to hear back from them. otherwise we'll be chalking up the bill with loans. not fun. but at least we are going into it debt free (besides our mortgage). we are thinking that we will not move to wilmington until late June. but all of that is still in the works also.

today is my sister's birthday! Happy Birthday Callie! love you boo boo!

ok that's all for now.

Accountability with Jesus

Ok so I know this is gonna sound horrible, but every year I say I am gonna give something up for Lent... and I never do. I was raised Baptist and I'd never even heard of Lent until college. Not to say that some Baptist don't participate in this humbling act, but those around me just did not.

Back to the part about me saying I was going to and never did. This year I am gonna try things a little different. I have chosen the item/s that I am giving up and I'm gonna let Jesus hold me accountable! I always look for ways to reverently observe Easter. Last year I did a sermon series online and it was really great. But this year I wanna experience to Holy Spirit like never before. I want to be filled with him every time I think about what I'm giving up... which will mean I will have a lot of holy Spirit in me. :)

So pray for me as I try and let Jesus hold me accountable. I just pray that this be an experience that leaves me humbled and in awe of the sacrifice God made for us in Jesus.

Psalm 23

1 "The lord is my Shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love
will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever. "

I was reading this Psalm today and as I read it I began to feel convicted. Verse 1 starts our by saying "I have all that I need." This is so true! I have more than I need. The chapter goes on to talk about all the things God does for me; gives me rest, renews my strength, guides me along right paths, stays close beside me, protects and comforts, honors me, and gives me eternal life with Him! As I read all of these and saw how "my cup overflows with blessings" I couldn't help but look back at verse 3.

3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.

I know God brings honor to his name when His will is done. But do I always bring honor to his name? This is where I fail. In church a couple weeks ago we talked about how we are to be witnesses to the things God does in our lives. God is so good to us. God is good to me! How will the people I come in contact (even via facebook) each day know how good God is if I don't tell them.

So here is part of my witness.

During my last couple years of college I really let a lot of people down. I say this because I was the President of the Baptist Student Union at UNC-Greensboro and during that season I was at the lowest point in my life spiritually than ever before. I was not leading by the Spirit. I know God worked anyway, cause He is so gracious, but I was walking against His will. I had been in a relationship since my Sophomore year in high school and was engaged to be married. I had it set in my heart and mind that this was the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. The only thing was, was that I wasn't praying. I didn't know what God wanted for my future. I only knew what I wanted. Because I didn't want to hear differently, I didn't do much communicating with Him. It really grieves me to think of the students who I could have ministered to and the people I passed up who I could have been a witness to.

But... God's plans are WAY better than ours. After that young man broke it off with me, I was in the deepest pain I had ever felt. My whole world had been turned upside down. It was there that I felt the presence of God. It was there that He met me.

*Let me do a quick flashback* Like a year before this man broke it off I had a dream. I truly believe that it was prophetic. In the dream I was in a white wedding gown and in a back yard. the man I was dating wasn't anywhere around. I knew the people that were there, but I couldn't see any faces. They were standing around talking like it was a reception or something. The only person's face that I recognized was Tim's! He was wearing a tux and I was walking toward him. I went and stood next to him and he took me by my waist and pulled me into a hug.

Ok so this dream was funny, cause I was already engaged and I always thought Tim was just a funny guy. :) But God proved me wrong. A week after the break up God began laying Tim on my heart. Soon after that I emailed him to see where he was and what God had him doing. I We started corresponding. Well the rest of that is history, but in November of that same year Tim and I were engaged and by February of 2009 we were married. By far the BEST decision I have ever let God make for me!

So now you've witnessed my love story. :)

Throughout our time together we've; traveled to Africa (almost moved there), lived in a mother in law house, moved into Tim's parent's townhouse, moved to Phoenix, had Madison, moved back to Jacksonville, lived with parents for a month or so, moved into a 2 bed house, moved into a 3 bed house, had Anna, and here we are... :) you liked that huh?

Needless to say, we have been very busy. We've done a lot of moving around. We've had lots of adventures. It's been fun. Don't know how many people can categorize their first years of marriage as fun, but I can!

I'd like to share just a little about our finances, which is one area of our lives where God has provided for in miraculous ways. This is how I know God takes care of His children. During our first year of marriage Tim and I paid off about $20,000 of debt. I think we only made about $23,000 that year. We worked hard and with God's guidance were able to stay frugal enough to pay off debt. We wouldn't have been able to do that without being obedient to Him. We are now completely debt free besides our mortgage in Phoenix. It hasn't been easy. Some months, I don't know how we made it except by the grace of God. But we trusted Him and we did what we could and left the rest to Him.

We are getting ready to start a new chapter in life and with that will probably come some new challenges, but God is provider and he leads us along right paths. While on that path my prayer is that with every step I continue to honor his name.

God wants to share his goodness with every single one of you. If you'll just let Him. It's your choice. :) Choose the good life. :)

... been meaning to do this

We have had so much going on in the Williams' household since little Anna was born. I feel like I am just getting the chance to breathe... luckily it's nice Spring air I'm breathing! :)

After Anna was born and Tim went back to work, I found myself wondering... "What was I thinking?" I had a newborn at home and an almost 2 year old. My body was still racing with loads of pregnancy hormones and I found myself ready to cry all the time. Maddy was into everything and needed 115% of my attention while Anna needed 120% of my attention! Then... everyone got sick. Maddy just had a cold, but with massive amounts of snot! It was everywhere because of course she doesn't know how to cover her mouth or nose when she sneezes. Tim had something yucky and I had a sinus infection and fluid on an ear. But poor Anna had it the worst, RSV. It was mild and we treated it at home. But we found ourselves in the emergency room two nights because we just weren't comfortable with how she was breathing. She was so congested. It was the most pitiful and sad thing I have ever seen.

With some time and God's healing we are all back to being healthy. I know that first part sounded kind of negative.... you know the "what was I thinking" part. Well I say that because I learned a big lesson with the whole sickness episode. I LOVE taking care of two healthy girls!!!!! There will be some tough spots as there is with any mom at home with children. But God did not give me anything I couldn't handle. He gave me two perfect precious daughters.

Gosh. I am so incredibly blessed. Here comes the bragging! Madison is just the smartest little 22 month I've ever met! She can already count to 10 in English and in Spanish. She sings along with you to teh ABC song. She can read a couple of words already: mommy, daddy, baby, grandma, and hi. Her language is so clear and she is putting at least 5 or 6 words together to form a sentence. Some of those are questions. I just really couldn't be more proud of her. She uses her manners all of the time also. We were just in Michael's today picking out invitations for her birthday party and she said, "excuse me" as we passed this older lady. The lady turned around and mentioned what wonderful manners she had. It's the little things that make me smile.

We are potty training Madison right now. She is doing great! I think in no time we will be down to just a pull-up at night.

We are planning Maddy Jo's 2nd birthday party! On April 11th she will turn 2, but the party is gonna be on the 9th. We decided on a Bubble Birthday Bash! She loves bubbles and we have a great screen porch, deck, and back yard area where we can host her party. She is most excited about all of her "friends" coming and about the cake. :) She announces to everyone when she sees them that she is having a "Bubble party with cake."

Madison is at such a fun age right now. A very wise and special friend of mine told me to count these years as the "terrific twos." I think I'm beginning to see that as sooo true!

My sweet Anna Beth is growing bigger every day. She is going on 2 months old. It seems I may have missed a week and a half of her life when we were all sick. :( They just grow so quickly. Her face is changing so much. She is smiling at me so much more. I tell ya, those smiles... they melt the heart. I used to wonder how I could love them both... there is no doubt... I love these girls so much it hurts sometimes. I am so blessed. So so blessed.

I am so excited for this new chapter of our lives. We have felt a very clear calling on Tim's life. This summer he will continue with a couple more prerequisites so that in the fall he can start work on his Master's degree. In order to teach full time at the college level you need your Master's. Tim is such an amazing teacher. I am not just saying this. Over and over, semester after semester he gets amazing reviews from EVERY student! They ask him to teach the next class up so they can have him again. He continually has positive results from students in his GED course. I think he had 5 students who passed the math portion of the GED this semester. So with all that being sad we go to being a family of a full time student and bread winner. I'm so thankful for my husband and all that he does to take care of us. He works SO hard. I wouldn't and don't ask for anymore than I have. I am so blessed.

In just a short couple of months we will pack up (again) and move to Wilmington. We will be there for at least two years (which is how long it should take Tim to finish his degree). Then God only knows where will be after that. Most likely back to Jacksonville to work full time at the Community College. Tim really enjoys the staff that he works with in the curriculum department. His boss is very easy to work with and does everything she can for her teachers. It's his ideal working situation.

Wilmington should be fun. I will miss my mom being so close. Even though it's not Phoenix... or Africa. She comes over in the afternoons and even during the middle of the night sometimes. :) I know it's only for a short time. I've especially enjoyed out chats over coffee. It's been nice. But I will enjoy being closer to things that Madison will enjoy! The Children's Museum in Wilmington is so fun and Maddy hasn't been. She will love it! Also there is a YMCA in Wilmington and we look forward to being members there. They have swim classes Maddy can do and all sorts of activities. So that part of Wilmington will be nice.

So yeh, there is lots going on and lots to look forward. My prayer is that I can stay in the present as I look forward to what the near future holds. Sometimes that is difficult for me. Luckily I have a birthday party to plan! That should keep me busy!

Well that's all for now!

Bobbie